Student Edition - Graduates share learnings from their Masters research projects

This time, The Research Thing gives the stage to graduates from an MSc programme in HCI, who are now working in the industry as designers and researchers. They will talk not just about their final research projects, but also about practical research tips and advice that can be immediately applied in a day-to-day practice.

During the second part of the programme, a panel discussion will explore the transition from being a student to getting a job, what academia needs from the industry and what the industry needs from the academia. The panelists (https://www.meetup.com/researchthing/pages/Speakers_-_Student_Edition_2015) will include Rowanne Fleck, Lecturer in Human Computer Interaction at the University of Birmingham, Jon Wall, recruitment consultant from Futureheads, Maria Frebel, Principal Consultant at System Concepts, and Caroline Owen, UXPA UK's Communications Officer.

Schedule:
18:30 - doors open
19:00 - welcome
19:05 - 20:05 - 3 talks from our 4 speakers (https://www.meetup.com/researchthing/pages/Speakers_-_Student_Edition_2015), each followed by Q&A
20:05 - 20:20 - break with refreshments
20:20 - 20:40 - panel discussion
20:40 - 21:00 - networking

The event will have a mixed audience that will be roughly half students and half professionals, and we hope that both camps will network and share views and thought about the problematics.

We are really grateful that the Student Edition will be supported by UXPA UK (http://uxpa-uk.org/), who will provide refreshments!

Programme:

Talk 1: “Más tecnología, más cambio”? Investigating an educational technology project in rural Peru - Emeline Therias
Emeline's final project during her MSc at UCL involved independent ethnographic fieldwork in rural villages in the Peruvian Andes (subjecting herself to altitudes of 4000 meters above sea level along the way!). The aim of the project was to understand the limitations and successes of two non-profit organisations looking to implement technology programs for educational benefits. The talk will detail the ethnographic approach taken, some of the methodological obstacles, and draw some conclusions as to how such technology projects can be successful, with the aim to inform practitioners and non-profit organisations alike.

Talk 2: Are smartphone apps a viable solution for crowd-sourced environmental noise monitoring? - Eleonora Cognetti
The presentation investigates the feasibility of using smartphone apps for environmental noise monitoring based on user contribution. Drawing on the results of her study, Nora will highlight barriers and opportunities for the design of mobile apps aimed at environmental data collection. She will also discuss a range of methodologies used in her research and will provide a series of suggestions on how to stay on track with an MSc project, or with any complex research project.

Talk 3: Video Games and Research - Ara Avakian and Tom Knoll
The presentation will focus on the research methods undertaken during our study of learning in video games. We will look at the different ways in which video games research can be carried out and specifically discuss the merits and our experiences of using retrospective think-alouds and observation techniques. We will also briefly touch upon the practicalities of doing such research, from recruitment woes to the technical set-up required.

By talking about our experiences we hope that current MSc students will better understand the logistics and process of conducting a dissertation, and that it may also bring to light the many options available to continue research in the area of learning and video-games for future students. This presentation will also touch upon how our findings can potentially impact the wider topic of video game design; in particular how different player strategies influences in-game challenges and consequently the learning that takes place.

Speakers' and panelists' details (https://www.meetup.com/researchthing/pages/Speakers_-_Student_Edition_2015/)

We look forward to seeing you at the event!